Protecting His Pack

Summary

Lennox Grayling is coping with the challenge of being pack alpha. He’s grown a hard shell since being forced to drive his brother, Logan, into exile, and the only thing that can pierce it is his devotion to his mate and his love for his baby son, Lachlan.

Sarah Woods is a vet in the Highland village of Kirkmuir. Having moved there to escape a boyfriend whose behaviour became obsessive and violent, love isn’t on her agenda any more.

When tragedy makes their paths cross, Sarah and Lennox discover an attraction for each other. Sarah can’t believe she’s falling for a wolf shifter, but their passion is too powerful to deny. But what will happen when Lennox is forced to protect his pack?

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Protecting His Pack - Elizabeth Coldwell

Chapter One

The night was still, the moon at her fullest. Lying naked on the forest floor, he looked up towards the distant orb, half-veiled by clouds, and gave thanks for her light and power. There would not be many more opportunities like this to simply bask in the moon’s cool white glow and absorb her restorative powers; already there was a chill to the morning air, and the nights were drawing steadily longer as summer gave way to autumn. But for now, his belly was full, the long grass prickled deliciously at his bare back, and Lennox was content to rest here, at peace with the world.

Truly, he and his kin were blessed. For all that he had first struggled to establish control when his father had died and the mantle of pack alpha had passed to him – and to maintain that control in the face of the occasional, foolhardy challenge to his position – his life was a good one. He’d made the right decisions when he’d needed to, ensuring their little collection of dwellings was well protected from any threat, and if his head and his heart had inevitably come into conflict in that process – well, that was something he’d had to accept when he’d taken on the role. Showing weakness would not only undermine him as the Grayling alpha; it could very well prove fatal.

And now, he was in possession of everything he’d ever wanted. A happy, healthy baby son who would one day grow up to inherit his place at the head of the pack, and a beautiful, loving wife …

At the sound of soft rustling in the grass, Lennox opened his eyes to see a tall, slender figure drawing near. Aoiffe, her hair loose around her shoulders, dressed in the thin gown she wore to bed. It seemed just thinking of her was enough to bring her to him.

‘So there you are.’ She sounded as though she’d just roused from her bed. Perhaps she’d been feeding Lachlan; the boy couldn’t yet sleep through the night. ‘Come to bed, Lennox. It’s late.’

‘And it’s far too fine a night to waste in sleeping.’ He rose to a sitting position and held out a hand, beckoning her to join him. ‘How many more times will you and I have the chance to spend time alone like this before the winter is upon us?’

‘Would you have me run with you through the woods? Is that what you’re asking?’ Now her voice held a teasing edge, any initial annoyance at finding him here quickly melting away. He held that power over her, and she him, to soothe a quarrel with only a few gentle words. And she had other powers too, more subtle but no less potent. The faintest hint of his mate’s musky, unique scent, carried to him by the night air, and he was lost.

‘Come on, Aoiffe, how long has it been?’ Already, he could feel the wolf in him beginning to rouse. The moon was calling to him – Aoiffe was calling to him. Together, they were an irresistible combination.

‘I can’t. You know that.’ Her tone indicated that she wanted to, very much. For all that she had embraced motherhood with a passion, the wild girl who’d been his running mate for so many years still lurked close to the surface. ‘What if Lachlan wakes and I’m not there?’

‘It’ll be fine. Màiri is close by. She’ll hear him cry. And if he needs milk, she has plenty to spare, even with the twins’ appetites.’

She shook her head, even as she took a couple of paces forward. ‘I can’t ask that of her. It’s not fair …’

Typical Aoiffe, he thought. Always wanting to put others before herself. ‘You’re the wife of the alpha. That entitles you to ask anything of anyone. Never forget that. And Màiri loves looking after Lachlan; you’ve seen how good she is with him.’

Aoiffe nodded. ‘Dear Màiri. It’s funny how she waited so long for a child of her own. She’d begun to think she would never have one. And when it finally happened –’ she spread her hands in an expansive gesture ‘– along come twins.’ She smiled. ‘You know what I’ve been thinking, Lennox – hoping, even? That Cairistìne will grow up to become a mate for Lachlan.’

‘Hey, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Just because you and I were always meant to be together, that’s not how it works for everyone.’

To an outsider, his words might have sounded like an exaggeration, but he knew them to be true. He had heard the story so many times of how Aoiffe’s mother had come to the pack with a baby in her arms, seeking sanctuary after her mate had been shot dead by a gamekeeper looking to hunt down the wild animal that had been killing the deer on his land. Aoiffe had been Lennox’s playmate since both were old enough to toddle, and when puberty had kicked in, bringing with it the ability to shift into wolf form as well as all the other associated hormonal changes, he and Aoiffe had become aware they were the other’s mate. They had formally pledged themselves to each other when Aoiffe, just over a year behind him in age, had reached 18, but as far as he was concerned, there had never been anyone else for him.

‘And if that does turn out to be the case, where does that leave Conall? You may have paired off his twin, but where do we find a mate for him?’

‘Do you really think I intend to stop at one child?’ Aoiffe smiled, patting her belly. ‘I always regretted not having a sister to share my secrets with. Though Lachlan might enjoy having a little brother …’ She must have seen the way his expression closed down, just for a moment, for she added, ‘You still miss him, don’t you? I’m sure Logan is doing well, wherever he is. He’s your brother; you’d know if something had happened to him.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ he growled, not wanting to admit to her just how much the loss still grieved him. Though he had always known that one day he might have to force his own brother into exile, to prevent him causing any harm to Aoiffe and their son, he could not have foreseen how